Part 1, Chapter 21 Summary

Quixote and Sancho embark on the road again, even though it is raining, since Quixote so despises the fulling mills for tricking him he will not seek shelter there. Soon they see far down the road a man riding a horse and wearing a helmet that glitters as gold. Quixote believes they have found the person in possession of the legendary helmet of Mambrino, even though Sancho tells him it is a man on an ass like his own wearing something shiny on his head. Quixote goes after him anyway, leaving Sancho lamenting that he hopes it is not another incident like the fulling mills.

In exposition, Cervantes reveals the truth, that the man is in fact a traveling barber who has put his brass basin on his head to save his hat from the rain. The barber dives off his ass to avoid being...